The Gifts Don’t Cease Because Their Reality Makes Us Uncomfortable

The Bible says in the latter days, people will have a form of godliness but deny its power.

We are currently in those latter days, though that’s not necessarily the same as the End Times, which is the last stretch of those latter days, like a coda to a piece of music. We’re in the crosshairs of that time approaching, insofar as we’re passing the time toward the Day of the LORD.

I’m sure many people are well-meaning, only wanting to serve our Lord Jesus Christ with all their hearts.

That makes my heart glad to know people genuinely want to serve Him.

But I came across a video today which left me feeling something unpleasant.

They were calling out false prophets, and while I agree with that, the notion that there aren’t prophets anymore because we have a Bible is ridiculous. Most of the history of the world happened without a Bible. The Scriptures were written down but there were thousands of years without them.

I have never seen a scripture in the Bible saying there will be no more prophets. People can twist Hebrews 1, saying because we have Jesus, there is no need for prophets, but that makes little sense.

It says in these last days; He has spoken to us by His Son. That’s it. It says at various times and ways, God has spoken to humanity.

(Hebrews 1:1-2[YLT])“In many parts, and many ways, God of old having spoken to the fathers in the prophets, in these last days did speak to us in a Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He did make the ages.”

What it does not say is: THERE WILL BE NO MORE PROPHETIC GIFTS AFTER JESUS.

Paul often spoke about wishing more people had the gift of prophecy. Paul spoke those words after Jesus had ascended back to the heavens. Incidentally, the author of Hebrews was writing during the same time as the apostles, so we can’t have a contradiction like that.

To not believe in the gift of prophecy, the gift of tongues, or any other gift, is to have a form of godliness but deny its power.

There are many accounts of genuine healing, so we know the gift of healing is real. Medical professionals are often stumped by this, often admitting divine intervention, though some are quick to dismiss it because of their secular, post-Enlightenment viewpoint.

The Book of Revelation mentions two prophets to come, as well as a miracle-working False Prophet of Revelation 13 fame. That’s probably a long way away, but it’s worth mention.

Clearly, there are still prophets to come.

Acts 2:17 states, quoting the prophet Joel, “And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams;”

Joel 2:28 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions.”

That’s odd, isn’t it? There are no more prophets, allegedly, yet here we have God saying the opposite.

There are churches on Earth today that believe in the power of prophets. The LDS church, or Mormons, believe in modern prophets. Most of Christianity shuns them away, but it’s true. They’ve got that correct and I will back them up on that notion no matter what traditional Christians say.

I’ve noticed much of what “traditional Christianity” says is just that, anyway. Traditional. Making up sins, saying things are this when they’re that, etc.

Despite what you might think about a sect of believers, prophecy is a real thing.

Charismatics also believe in prophets, as do SDA members.

But the most important thing to realize is that the New Testament Church believed in prophets and spiritual gifts.

This idea is often abused, with many false prophets claiming smooth-talking lies, but I’ve seen evidence of this in my own life, with certain things happening or being said far in advance, and I’m certainly no prophet. These occurrences do not make me anything of the sort, though I’ve had experiences I can’t shake off as meaningless. Some people call it déjà vu or precognitive. I just call it the Holy Spirit.

Anecdotal? Sure, but that doesn’t mean sticking our heads in the sand and avoiding the truth of prophecy.

Prophecy is a real thing.

It’s how we have a Bible. It’s what proves Jesus is the Messiah.

Just because we live in the 21st century, that doesn’t mean Yahweh magically changes Himself to suit our post-Enlightenment-era worldviews.

He has always had prophecy in motion, the first notable one being the promise to crush Satan all the way back in Genesis 3.

Prophecy might make you uncomfortable, or make you think it’s in the realm of the cuckoos out there, but it’s a real thing.

Yeah, some people might be mentally ill, standing on the side of the street with an END IS NIGH sign for twenty years, but that doesn’t make a prophetic history dating back thousands of years just go away.

I’m sure that video I watched was well-meaning, but well-meaning doesn’t always mean accurate.

The lesson here is, have your faith, but don’t deny the power of it. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He doesn’t change based on our culture changing to secular views over faith.

Let’s have our faith and understand the supernatural mysteries of the world along with it.